


Nightmares Beyond the Boundary Line

by MemoryMonkey



Category: Chuunibyou Demo Koi Ga Shitai
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, I'm writing this because it's cute and I want to and no one can stop me, Sharing a Bed, Wholesome, it's hella gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:46:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24595504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MemoryMonkey/pseuds/MemoryMonkey
Summary: After Dekomori invited all her friends around her house for a sleepover at the start of Summer break, Nibutani ends up unable to get to sleep late at night. That's when she hears sobs coming from the room next to hers and takes it upon herself to comfort Dekomori.
Relationships: Dekomori Sanae/Nibutani Shinka
Comments: 7
Kudos: 101





	Nightmares Beyond the Boundary Line

It was the first week of Summer vacation and Dekomori was already using up Nibutani's time.

For weeks leading up to the end of the semester, Rika and the annoying first year calling herself the girl's loyal servant had been obsessing over the sleepover they would be having around Dekomori's house. This would be fine - if anything, better than fine, since the talk of their upcoming stay seemed to drown out the first year's relentless quoting of Nibutani's Mabinogion - if it weren't for the fact that she was, somehow, roped into the girl's business.

Again.

It went without saying that Rika would invite Yuta to come with her during her stay - and it went without saying that he, with nothing better to do, would accept the invitation. It was also no big surprise when, as the matter was being discussed in the Far East Magical Napping Society clubroom, Kumin decided it sounded like fun and asked if she could join in.

Once all four other members had decided to go together, everyone expectantly turned to face Nibutani.

That's how she ended up lying in bed at one in the morning, trying to ignore Rika's absurd sleep ramblings she could hear from the room adjacent to hers about the Wicked Lord that never failed to give her second-hand embarrassment.

Admittedly the day had been slightly fun - despite the first year somehow constantly winning at every game they played and only making Nibutani pay for it - but this was plain stupid.

"I swear, these people have nothing better to do," she mumbled, trying to pull her pillow over her ears and shutting her eyes. With no fun gossip from Rika and Yuuta, the brunette had been left with only Dekomori and Kumin to entertain her during the day, and, no disrespect to Kumin, the two of them were not very entertaining.

"It's not like there are things I want to do over summer break," she huffed, letting her eyes fall open again. Having long since adjusted to the darkness around her, she could make out the general shape of the room and furniture inside of it and couldn't help but notice that Dekomori's guest room was several times larger than her own bedroom. They had been to the first year's house before, for a Christmas party, so they had seen how huge it was beforehand, but Nibutani couldn't help being constantly struck by it. Even the furniture in the room she was staying in looked expensive.

That Christmas party wasn't exactly her worst memory, to be fair. Even though the little brat had the nerve to steal her clothes and take off - clothes which she never saw again - she had to concede that it had been fun. Hesitant as she would be to voice it, watching Dekomori and Rika getting drunk was hilarious. As weird as it seemed, the consistently annoying first year ended up being fun to mess with, even when she caused too many problems for it to be worth it.

Next thing she knew during their Christmas party, Dekomori had suddenly crashed, complaining that Nibutani used to take things more seriously and chase after like she meant it - when she broke down in tears, claiming that everyone had abandoned her and Nibutani had to calm her down, something weird was stirring inside the brunette. Though everyone knew she was being overdramatic and her drunkenness was bringing about stupidity - even more than usual - the urge to comfort and protect had never been so strong before.

There were even strange times where Nibutani thought back to the moment and longed for more of it - where, for a short moment, the younger girl was too vulnerable to put the effort into being a nuisance and the two actually felt close.

"And now I'm thinking about Dekomori," she muttered to herself. "Go to sleep!" She hissed, crossing her arms in front of herself and passive-aggressively waiting for sleep to take her, thankful that at least Rika's mutterings had stopped.

Only, minutes later, they were replaced with another sound. From the room opposite the one Rika was staying in - Dekomori's bedroom.

Nibutani thinned her eyes, trying to discern what the muffled sound was through the wall. It was quiet but pained, like a choked sobbing sound-

It was crying.

Nibutani's eyes widened as she found herself sitting up suddenly, listening attentively. Dekomori was definitely awake and crying. At half past one in the morning.

Well, she did cry at everything, and it was probably none of Nibutani's business... The brunette pouted, wondering if she should ignore it and go to sleep.

"The hell is she doing in there?" She hissed, shaking her head. She knew she couldn't do that. Given all the thoughts that were just running through her head, she couldn't listen to her crying and do nothing about it. "Brat," she mumbled, throwing her bedsheets to the side and slowly standing up.

After quietly leaving her room, she shut the door behind her and walked up to the next door in the enormous corridor, pausing briefly outside it to make sure it was Dekomori's room - though the gratuitous number of callbacks to the brunette's embarrassing past decorating its exterior were enough of a giveaway.

Her hand was held awkwardly in front of the door, ready to knock at any moment as she hesitated, only listening guiltily to the sobs coming from inside and dreading what would happen when she knocked. She was just doing a kind thing for a friend. What reason did she have to be nervous, anyway?

Nodding to herself, Nibutani knocked against the door as softly as she could.

She waited.

There was no response.

She frowned, wondering if Dekomori had heard, before realising that her crying had stopped. Meaning she had heard, and was decidedly making an effort to be quiet in response.

Nibutani sighed, knocking again.

"Dekomori," she said softly, immediately surprised at the concern in her own voice.

No response.

"Dekomori, I heard you. I know you're awake."

"I'm not awake," came a defiant voice from inside. Nibutani rolled her eyes, her hand resting on the doorknob.

"Dekomori, it's half past one in the morning and you're up crying." She paused. "Please talk to me."

She was, once again, met with silence.

"Please," Nibutani repeated softly, her other palm laying flat against the door. "Are you okay?"

"I'm-" came Dekomori's weak voice. "I'm..." Nothing else.

Nibutani shook her head, slowly turning the doorknob and pushing the door open.

"Hey," the younger girl complained as the slight light from the corridor seeped into the luxurious room.

"Don't worry," the brunette assured her, stepping inside and promptly closing the door.

"What are you doing?" Dekomori mumbled.

Nibutani paused for a moment, trying to readjust to the dark before the whole room appeared to her, the blonde girl in her bed at the end of it.

"I'm making sure you're alright," she responded, approaching the bed. As she did, she met the other girl's eyes - stained and red with tears. She was curled up into a small ball, her hands joined tightly together over her chest and her mouth a line of nervousness which brought back that stirring urge to comfort the girl in front of her.

Dekomori didn't respond as the older girl sat down on the bed next to her and brought her feet up, leaning against the wall. All she could do was stare before letting out another sob.

"What's got you so upset?" Nibutani asked quietly.

The blonde shut her eyes.

"N-nightmare..."

Nibutani's heart clenched, desperate to reach out and comfort the crying girl though completely lost on what to say.

"Do you often have nightmares?" She asked nervously.

Dekomori opened her mouth to speak but paused as no sound came out. Instead, she just nodded her head, her eyes screwed shut as another sob rocked her frail body.

"Hey, Dekomori. Come here," Nibutani invited, opening her arms. She was surprised as the smaller girl quickly accepted, reaching out with her tiny arms and shuffled towards her, grabbing on tightly. With the smaller girl's head buried in her chest and the sudden pressure around her torso, Nibutani's heart skipped a beat. She stared briefly as the mess of blonde hair tickled her neck and the other girl's legs pressed against hers before swallowing and nodding her head. She moved one arm around the girl's back to hold her closer and brought the other behind her head to gently stroke the top in an attempt to soothe her, surprised at her own lack of composure from a simple hug.

"I've got you," she offered, clueless on what to say. "Just hold on. I'm here."

Dekomori nodded, her grip increasing.

Then everything was quiet. Despite that, Nibutani knew she couldn't just fall asleep then - her rising heartbeat fought against her and in that moment she didn't want to be asleep anymore, only to hold the younger girl tight until she stopped crying, then maybe a little longer to be sure.

"Keep talking to me," the blonde suddenly said. "Please."

"Ehm..." Nibutani paused. "What was the nightmare about?"

"We were getting chased... by a giant monster... a-and, no one could stop it, and it got Rika and Yuuta, and Kumin, and it got you, then it was about to get me-"

"Dekomori..."

"I..." the blonde began. "I don't wanna lose you guys," she bleated. Nibutani stared. What she was really afraid of was separation? Loneliness? "Master is such a good friend... and you're so important... and everyone else is fun too... and I've never had a real group of friends like this!"

Of course. She may get attention from her grades, but being popular didn't mean having a good group of friends. She was Chuunibyou, after all. It was a strange thought that for Nibutani too, the weird group that was the Far East Magical Napping Society ended up being the people that she spent the most time with. Dare she say, even her best friends. For Dekomori, it must be much worse. If no one would be her friend outside of the club, then they were all she had.

"You won't lose us," Nibutani insisted, stroking the back of her head.

"H-huh?" There was a rising glow in the blonde's cheeks, her eyes and mouth hung open.

"You're important to me too. A-and important to everyone else in the club, I mean. You and Rika are the soul of the group and you're like, her but better and more annoying."

"Hey," she grumbled.

"So we won't stop hanging out," Nibutani concluded, allowing herself a smile. "Because honestly your stupid club is more fun than any of the others and even though you make it a pain in the ass, you're what makes it so fun."

"Nibutani," she sobbed, her face contorting in ugly crying as she started squeezing even harder.

"Ugh, come on, the main takeaway is that you're a pain," the taller girl complained, knowing fully well that wasn't true.

"You're a pain," came the muffled whine, Dekomori's face buried in her chest. Nibutani sighed in frustration as the other girl shuffled around for a while. "Cold," Dekomori complained, having left the comfort of her sheets behind to hold onto the other girl.

"Alright," Nibutani answered, reaching behind the girl to grab her sheets and pulling them over the top of the two. "Better?" She asked, trying to ignore their growing proximity.

"Mph~" Came the muffled response of affirmation as she felt Dekomori pulling the sheets tight over the two of them, only to return her embrace immediately afterwards.

Nibutani let out a slow, deep breath, staring at the opposite wall as Dekomori showed absolutely no signs of letting go - doing the same thing as Nibutani and staring at the wall.

"Hey, Dekomori," the brunette whispered. "How are you feeling now?"

"I really hate that nightmare," she mumbled. "And as the wielder of Mighty Mjolnir, I should be immune to such weaknesses like master is." Nibutani thinned her eyes. "But I'm... I'm clearly not..." She choked out.

Please, please stop being sad. Nibutani pursed her lips, scouring her brain for a way to cheer the girl up before something lit up and her eyes shot open.

"You know..." She began. She couldn't believe she was actually doing this. "In the Mabinogion, doesn't it say that even when nightmares persist, just think about the things that you love and, if you are pure of heart..." She paused, forcing herself not to visibly cringe at the painful memory of her creation. "... the power of love will drive it away?"

"Push it away," Dekomori instantly corrected her before suddenly pausing, looking up to meet Nibutani's eye again. "Wait, you know that part?" Nibutani gave her a frustrated look.

"As much as I wish I didn't," the brunette mumbled under her breath.

"I guess you're right though," Dekomori concluded, humming to herself. "The things that I love..." It was honestly ridiculous how quickly she had cheered up after that. Nibutani could only hope she wouldn't have to resort to that more often in order to calm the girl down. "The things that I love..." She repeated to herself. Both had forgotten how close they were together. "The things that... I love..." Dekomori faltered, her voice growing weak as a clear blush rose up her face and up to her ears.

"Is something wrong?" Nibutani asked. Dekomori's manic eyes darted up to meet hers.

"Y-y-you're still the fake Mori Summer, got that?" She cried, her voice cracking as she spoke.

"Oh my God," Nibutani muttered. "And you're still a brat but I'm trying to be nice. Got that?" She asked, repeating the other girl's words very deliberately. Dekomori nodded awkwardly before relaxing again, leaning her head back against the older girl's chest. "And I am the real Mori Summer, alright?" She murmured.

She didn't know why she cared to say that - if anything, she should want to convince the other girl that she had nothing to do with her embarrassing past, but for that brief moment where Dekomori had finally realised that she had actually written everything on her blog under the name of Mori Summer, it had been brilliant. It gave her a sense of power but that wasn't it. It was brilliant because she felt the other girl's trust and adoration. Dekomori would actually listen to what she said. And, recalling what had happened when someone else tried to impersonate Mori Summer, she didn't want anyone else misleading the first year.

Then she noticed Dekomori looking up at her again with a sceptical look.

"Well," Dekomori finally spoke, "doesn't the Mabinogion also say that you must stay true to who you really are? If you wanna quote her book, maybe you should stop pretending to be someone you're n-"

"You have to stay true to who you really are."

"Huh?" Dekomori blinked.

"You misquoted it," Nibutani pouted.

The blonde froze before quickly releasing the older girl from one of her arms, reaching over her to open her bedside drawer behind her and pulling out a copy of the book in discussion. Nibutani averted her eyes as the unholy item burned itself into her vision, waiting as Dekomori frantically flipped through the many pages to find the section.

To best honest, that was one of the few quotes that Nibutani remembered word for word.

She could tell when Dekomori had found what she was looking for when she turned into a statue, her face stretched into an expression of abject horror.

"Was I right?" Nibutani asked with disinterest, smirking inwardly as the girl slowly reached to return the book to its place in the drawer, looking as though she'd seen a ghost.

"Something terrible has happened..." She whispered. Nibutani giggled. "Some dark power is taking my memories from me..."

"No, you're just tired," the older girl mumbled, laying her head back on the soft pillow and yawning. "And so am I."

"Hmph," the first year huffed, returning to her previous position and so that, between Nibutani and the covers, all that could be seen was her forehead. "I won't forget this."

"Like you forgot my quote," Nibutani teased her.

"Shut up," came the blonde's muffled voice. "I'll kick you out of my house."

"Sure," the brunette breathed, letting her eyes fall closed. "Goodnight then."

Dekomori hesitated, her face growing redder each second, fortunately hidden from prying eyes and surrounded by soft things.

"Goodnight."


End file.
